Director Plays ‘Percentages Game’ in Bid for Commission

An one hour crime drama produced entirely through voluntary donations – including among the actors, production crew and props providers – is to be shown to TV channel commissioning editors, following its premiere at the weekend.

‘Ninety-Eight Percent’ has been made entirely speculatively by former Cumbernauld College media and film studies student, Frank McGowan, in the hope that it will be taken under the wing of a TV channel, to be developed as a crime drama series.

Set in Glasgow, it follows the fortunes of a woman gangster – described as a “sociopath lesbian drug dealer” – and delves into almost every vice going.

And to make it involved a cast of 15 main actors, plus 40 extras, and a 14-person production crew – each and everyone of whom donated their time for free.

Says McGowan: “You hear of a lot of films being no or low budget, only to find there was a couple of hundred thousand pounds available. Ours cost nothing. If Michael Grade [ITV’s executive chair] thinks there’s no talent in Scotland, he should take a look at this.”

Now the plan is to the take the pilot episode around commissioning editors, buoyed by what McGowan says was “fantastic feedback”, following a screening at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Saturday.

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